The Mariana’s Awakening update has expanded one of Fisch’s most mysterious areas with a whole new layer, new quests, special fishing encounters, a boss fight, new species, and a powerful rod to work toward. If you’ve been exploring Mariana’s Veil already, there’s now a lot more waiting for you beneath the surface.
The update isn’t just about entering a new location and catching fish. You’ll need to investigate glowing mineral veins, complete quests for five different descendants, solve a Crevice Wall riddle, activate layer gems, and eventually open the way into the Obsidian Trench.
In this guide, I’ll take you through the main progression from the beginning, explain the new trench mechanics, show you how the Veiled Charybdis and Skolopendra encounters work, and cover the Chasm-Stalker Rod, new bestiary additions, and the latest code.
How to Start Mariana’s Awakening
Your first objective is to travel to Roslit Bay.
Once you’re there, find Vaelor and speak with him.
Vaelor will introduce you to the strange glowing mineral veins that have started appearing throughout Mariana’s Veil. Your job is to investigate these veins across all five existing layers.
This begins the main progression for the update.
You shouldn’t expect to enter the Obsidian Trench immediately. There are several objectives you need to complete first.
Visit the Five Layers of Mariana’s Veil
The update sends you across all five layers of Mariana’s Veil.
Each layer has a descendant connected to Vaelor, and you’ll need to complete their specialized mutation quests as you progress.
The five descendants are:
- Ignis — Volcanic Vents
- Glacius — Challenger’s Deep
- Tenebris — Abyssal Zenith
- Luminis — Calm Zone
- Resonus — Veil of the Forsaken
Make sure you work through the quests connected to each descendant because they form part of the progression toward the new area.
Complete the Descendant Mutation Quests
Each of Vaelor’s descendants has a specialized quest associated with the layer they guard.
You’ll need to travel between the different areas and complete these objectives before moving further into the update.
This part can take a little time, but it also gives you a reason to revisit areas you may not have explored recently.
You can also earn Gauntlets from completing the related quests, giving you additional rewards while progressing through the storyline.
Find the Crevice Wall
After working through the required layer content, you’ll eventually be led deeper into the abyss.
This is where you’ll discover the mysterious Crevice Wall.
The wall contains an active riddle that you need to decipher.
Once you’ve figured out what the riddle requires, your next task is to activate the layer gems.
Activate All the Layer Gems
The next major objective is to ignite all five layer gems.
These gems are connected to the five layers you’ve been exploring throughout the questline.
Getting all of them activated is important because it allows you to progress toward the Abyss Gate.
This is essentially the final step before you can access the newly discovered area.
Enter the Obsidian Trench
Once you’ve completed the required progression and opened the Abyss Gate, you’ll finally be able to enter the Obsidian Trench.
This is the newest layer introduced with Mariana’s Awakening.
The trench is filled with dark crystals and has its own environmental mechanic that you need to understand before spending too much time inside.
What Is Trench Suppression?
The moment you enter the Obsidian Trench, you’ll be affected by Trench Suppression.
This environmental debuff makes the new area more dangerous and limits how comfortably you can explore the trench.
Fortunately, there is a way to temporarily reduce the effect.
Look around the trench for glowing white crystals.
Interacting with these crystals will temporarily purge your suppression levels.
So whenever you’re exploring the trench, don’t just focus on fishing. Keep an eye out for these white crystals and use them when necessary.
Hunt Veiled Charybdis
The Obsidian Trench introduces a special fishing encounter involving Charybdis.
You can hook Charybdis while fishing in the trench rivers, but catching it isn’t as straightforward as catching a normal fish.
Once you’ve hooked it, you’ll enter a special reeling minigame.
Your goal is to maintain control and avoid being dragged into the dangerous water.
Watch Out for Whirlpools
The main hazard during the Veiled Charybdis encounter is the whirlpools.
Getting caught in one can remove your rod control, making the catch much harder to manage.
So when you’re attempting to catch Veiled Charybdis, pay close attention to the water and react quickly when the whirlpools appear.
How to Awaken Skolopendra
The Veiled Charybdis hunt eventually leads to the update’s major boss encounter.
You’ll need to catch approximately 4–6 Veiled Charybdis.
Once you’ve caught enough, the crystals around the Obsidian Trench will turn deep red.
This is the signal that Skolopendra has awakened.
If you’re exploring the trench and suddenly notice the crystals changing color, that’s your indication that the boss encounter is beginning.
Fight Skolopendra
Skolopendra has its own special boss minigame.
This isn’t simply another normal fishing catch. The encounter includes mysterious effects that make it different from the standard fishing mechanics you’re used to.
You’ll need to complete the boss encounter successfully if you want to progress toward one of the biggest rewards in the update.
How to Get the Chasm-Stalker Rod
After conquering the Obsidian Trench and defeating Skolopendra, you’ll be able to purchase the new Chasm-Stalker Rod.
This is one of the major rewards for completing the new content.
The rod comes with a new mutation as well as several strong passive abilities.
But there’s another feature that makes this rod particularly different from the others.
Chasm-Stalker’s Unique Streak System
The Chasm-Stalker Rod introduces a completely new streak system.
This mechanic is unique to the rod and gives you another system to manage while using it.
So if you’re collecting rods or looking for something with a different playstyle, the Chasm-Stalker is definitely one of the main pieces of content you’ll want to unlock.
New Obsidian Trench Bestiary
The new layer also comes with a large collection of new species.
There are 12 new Obsidian Trench catches, including two hidden species.
The currently known species include:
- Obsidian Gaveltooth
- Cinder-Crust Gar
- Scoria Scorpionfish
- Shatter-Tooth Shark
- Magma-Glass Marlin
- Tectonic Toadfish
- Ash-Cloud Angelfish
- Shatterjaw Shark
- Pumice Puffer
- Basalt Behemoth
- 2 hidden catches
If you’re working toward 100% bestiary completion, you’ll have plenty of fishing to do in the new layer.
10 More Species Across Mariana’s Veil
The update also adds new fish to the existing layers.
There are 10 additional species spread throughout Mariana’s Veil:
- Charred Coelacanth
- Obsidian-Plated Piranha
- Glacial Gulper
- Hoarfrost Halibut
- Lumin-Lure Lanternfish
- Void-Drifter Jelly
- Geode Grouper
- Pearl-Plated Pleco
- Gargoyle Goby
- Wraith-Whisper Ray
This means you don’t necessarily have to spend all of your time inside the Obsidian Trench to make progress on the new bestiary.
Mariana’s Awakening Code
There is also a new code connected to the update.
Use:
MarianaIsGoingCrazy
Redeem it in Fisch to claim the available update reward.
If you’re starting the new content, I’d recommend redeeming the code before getting too far into the update so you don’t forget about it.
The Mariana’s Awakening update is essentially a major expansion of Mariana’s Veil rather than a small content drop.
You start by investigating Vaelor’s glowing mineral veins and working with his five descendants. From there, the Crevice Wall and layer-gem puzzle eventually lead you through the Abyss Gate and into the Obsidian Trench.
Inside the trench, you’ll have to manage Trench Suppression, hunt Veiled Charybdis, and eventually awaken Skolopendra. Once you’ve conquered that content, the Chasm-Stalker Rod becomes the big reward waiting for you.
And if you’re a completionist, there are plenty of new species to collect across both the Obsidian Trench and the existing Mariana’s Veil layers.
Don’t forget to redeem MarianaIsGoingCrazy as well, and then you can start working your way through the new content.